Elections

From Zuma to Ramaphosa: How state capture and conspiracies evolve, but never end

From the R2 billion Tembisa Hospital looting spree to punitive racial quotas that could bankrupt retailers, the government continues to simultaneously rely on business to fix state failures while treating the private sector as an enemy of the people, argues Tony Leon. About a decade ago, I addressed a group of business leaders in Durban [...]

Missing ambassadors, mounting tariffs: SA leaders fail the perfect storm test

It is a case of every man, woman or party for themselves, and the country buckles in the absence of joined-up government, writes Tony Leon. In Zbig, a new and fascinating biography of the late hardline US National Security Advisor, Zbigniew Brzezinski, Edward Luce writes, “figures in senior [government] roles have no time to replenish their stock [...]

Tony Leon on the GNU, Helen Zille, and the joy of dachshunds

https://www.news24.com/weekender/interview-tony-leon-on-the-gnu-helen-zille-and-the-joy-of-dachshunds-20250523-0441  

Intieme blik op ’n besonderse loopbaan

  https://www.netwerk24.com/netwerk24/kunste/boeke/intieme-blik-op-n-besonderse-loopbaan-20250525

One year of GNU: Power-sharing or power struggle?

Tony Leon considers the first anniversary of South Africa’s coalition government, reflecting on the ANC’s political decline, the DA’s limited power in the partnership, and the challenges of restoring voter faith amid mounting dissatisfaction. On 11 June 2024, exactly one year ago, the DA presented its “framework agreement” for a coalition government to govern South Africa [...]

The Mayor of Cape Town, Geordin Hill-Lewis, engages in a thought-provoking conversation with Tony Leon about his latest book, ‘Being There: Backstories from the Political Front’.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NoFl_pxo-Q&list=PL73Gj_So3oSVSq5C7dggvXLVYWcrue6kh

Douglas Gibson: A life of persistence, loyalty, and adaptability in politics

Tony Leon remembers Douglas Gibson, who died last Friday, as one of the great builders of our politics. Long-lived, controversial British politician Enoch Powell memorably said, “All political lives, unless they are cut off in midstream at a happy juncture, end in failure, because that is the nature of politics and of human affairs.” Powell died [...]

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